GLASGOW City head Scott Booth says men's clubs which complain of congested fixtures have it easy compared with his side.
City face having to play six games in the next three weeks – including two Champions League ties against Barcelona, an SSE Scottish Women's Cup semi-final, and two league games, one of them a title decider.
The first in the run is on Sunday at Forthbank when Booth's side meet Hibernian in the Scottish Cup. If they win the semi they will end their season with the final at Firhill on November 4.
City attempted to have their title decider, also against Hibs, a week on Sunday moved to another date, but the request was turned down by the league management committee. The Scottish champions travel to meet Barcelona in the first leg of their last 16 tie in between the two games.
Booth's frustrations mirror those of Neil Lennon, who described Hibs men's team having to play eight games in December as “crazy”.
The City head coach said: “Not getting the league game re-arranged is very much unfair, but what we expect. We don't get much help in these situations.
“It's to everyone's benefit when a Scottish club is doing well in the Champions League. It means our co-efficient goes up, and it could help two teams getting into Europe.
“That is something that has to change going forward. It doesn't matter whether it's us or some other club constantly involved in cup semi-finals and finals and league deciders.
“Whoever that team happens to be, they need a bit of help. Above all it just promotes the Scottish game in a positive way – and the team doing that should get all the support it needs.”
Where Booth and Lennon are different is in the status of their players. Nearly all of the City side have to juggle playing commitments with full-time or part-time jobs, further education or school. If 16-year-old central defender Carly Girasoli plays in City's next three games she will have played nine in 28 days, including three for the Scotland under-17 side, while having to maintain her school work to the necessary standard.
“Professional men's clubs don't have people working in full-time jobs or studying full time and having to travel backward and forward to training four evenings a week,” Booth pointed out.
“It's different when you see Man Utd or Man City playing three games in a week. They've got squads of 28 professional players and can rotate as much as they want.
“Our players can't be rested but theirs can – and at the end of the day they're getting a hefty sum in their bank accounts.”
Sunday's other SSE Scottish Cup semi-final, also at Forthbank, is between Spartans and SWPL2 winners Motherwell.
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